Locomotive front end



Jan. 2, 1934. w. F. MITCHELL LOCOMOTIVE FRONT END Filed May 14, 1932 Wlf/il Patented Jan. 2, 1934' UNITED STATES 1,942,215 LoooMo'rIvE FRONT END William R Mitchell, St. Paul, Minn, assignor to Locomotive Firebox Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware Application May, 14, 1932. Serial No. 611,428

16 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in locomotive front ends and it consists of the matters hereinafter described and more particularly set forth in the appended claims.

. The primary object of the invention is to provide a front end construction of this kind where in the live cinders from the flues entering the smoke box. are caused to travel in a somewhat circuitous and whirling path whereby they are broken up, extinguished and cooled before they are discharged through the stack.

Another object of the invention is to provide in the smoke box, a transversely extending drum having end openings at the front so arranged in connection with a coacting cone as to produce a whirling action to the incoming cinders and products of combustion, wherein the heavier particles thereof are centrifugally separated out to fall to the more quiet area at the bottom of the 20 drum for easy removal.

A further object of the invention is to provide a construction of this kind, which may be readily installed in locomotives already in service with but little lay-up time and which in no manner interferes with the use of the .usual spark screens, superheater headers or other devices found in the smoke boxes of modern locomotives.

These objects of theinvention as wellas others, together with the many advantages thereof will more fully appear as I proceed with my specification.

In the drawing: Fig. 1v is a longitudinal vertical sectional vie through a locomotive front end embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical sectional view through the same-as taken on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1.

Referring now in detail to that embodiment of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawing, 1 indicates as a whole the tubular body of the smoke box shell, 2 indicates the front flue sheet forming the rear wall of the smoke box and 3 indicates the smoke box front having the usual door 4 associated therewith. 5 indicates the fines fixed at their front ends inv the flue sheet 2 to open in the usual manner into the smoke box. a

6 indicates the barrel of the stack having a flanged base 7 secured to the'top of the body of the smoke box shell in any desired manner about the usual opening therein, down through which the inside extension 8 of the stackprojects. Preferably this inside extension has a bottom radialfiange 9 to which a similar flange 10 of a petticoat pipe 11 is fixed. 12 indicates the exhaust pipe, rising from the bottom of the smoke box shell, in substantially axial alignment with the stack. Preferably the top end of said pipe is radially flanged as at 13 to receive the like flange 14 of an exhaust nozzle or tip 15. In said smoke box shell is a horizontally disposed cylindrical casing 16 with its axis arranged transversely of said shell. Centrally. at the top of said casing, is an upwardly extending tubular neck 17 that encloses the top end part of the petticoat pipe, the remainder of said petticoat pipe being within said casing. 1 1

Preferably this neck has an inturned radial flange 18 that is'disposed between the like flanges 9 and 10 of the stack extension and petticoat pipe and is secured in place by the same bolts 19 that secure said flanges together. This tubular casing 16 is supported at the bottom by legs 2020 which are fixed at their bottom end to the smoke box shell and are provided at their'top ends with curved arms 21 forming-saddles, securedto the bottom of said casing. 1 1

The casing has end walls 2222 and the space between said end walls and saidshell as well as those three cornered spaces between said shell, the top of the casing and the smoke stack extension are closed off by bafiie plates 23 and 24 re-- spectively, secured in place in any suitable man-'- 35 ner.

Extending inwardly from each end wall of the casing and coaxially therewith is an apexed'cone 25, of an axial length to terminate short of the planes of the opposite sides of the neck 17 and the purpose of which will later appear.

At the front of the casing at each side thereof is a rectangular inlet opening 26 the top of which is overhung by a hood or vizor 27. Extending upwardly and inwardly from the bottom of said inlet opening is a deflector plate 28 that terminates at its top edge on the circle of the base of the cone and in the plane of the axis of the cone as best shown in Fig. l.

At the bottom of the casing, concentric with the nozzle is located a short upright cylindrical cinder ring or catcher 29 the flat bottom wall of which is disposed and clamped between the flanges 13 and 14 of the exhaust pipe and its nozzle or tip. At the front of said ring or catcher which is preferably of a diameter corresponding to the casing neck 17 and outside the casing is a door 30 for the removal of such cinders or the like as may accumulate therein.

As the products of combustion enter the smoke box from the lines 5, they are forced to take a downward path because of the baffles 2324 closing off the space about the top and ends of the casing. Thus said products, sweep downwardly under the bottom of the casing and then upwardly and laterally to divide substantially into two streams each entering an inlet opening 26, the hood 2'7 associated with each opening directingsaid products thereinto.

As said products enter said openings they are directed by the deflectors 28 into engagement against the associated cone 25 so that a whirling, centrifugal action is induced to each stream. This acts to direct the heavier particles radially. outward so that they are forced totake a longer and more circuitious path before they enter the bottom end of the petticoat pipe. Thus the glowcooled and extinguished to pass out the stack.-

By reason of the cones, the lighter products of combustion are deflected toward the apex thereofand from-there, enter the-bottom of the petticoat pipe under the forced draft action of the nozzle.

Thusby reason ofthe construction described, the products of combustion are caused to, take on:a whirling centrifugal action which breaks up and extinguishes the heavier live particles or cinders beforetheyenter the petticoat pipe sothat theyarein such a condition. when "theyleave the stack as will :make it impossible-to start fires along the right ofway. Suchparticles as are too heavy to pass outthe stack are caught in the cinder ring and may beeasily removed through the front thereof,

The structuredescribed, is simple to produce andmay be installed in locomotives I already in service with'buta small lay-up time'and may also..-

be readilyinstalled; in-new locomotives in'the course oftheir assembly. There-'are-no movingparts to getout of order and' nothingto manipulateso that long periods of usefulness without expenseis possible; I

While iii-describing the invention, I have referred in detail to the form and construction of the various parts thereof-,=-the same'isto be'considered merely as illustrative of but one -embodi-- ment of the-invention sothat! do not wish *tobelimited theretoexcept-as maybe specifically setforth in the appended-claims. I

I claim as my invention:-

1. A locomotive front end embodying therein a smoke box defined -atoneend bya flue sheet, a smoke staekhaving a stack extension in the smoke bom an exhaust nozzle inthe smoke boxassociated-With said stackextension, means in smoke box, an exhaust nozzle in the smokeboxassociated with said-stack extension, means inq saidsmoke'box forming a chamber surrounding said stack extension, there being an opening provided for the admission of the products of combustion into said chamber, said parts being so formed and positionedas tocause said prod-- nets of combustion to take a substantially circular path about a transversely disposed horizontal axis and under the bottom of said means forming said chamber in their passage between said flue sheet and said opening.

3. A locomotive front end embodying therein a smoke box shell having a smoke stack at the top and an exhaust nozzle at the bottom, a transversely disposed casing insaid shell and into which parts of said stack and nozzle extend, there being an inlet opening in said casing at the front thereof and means in said casing so arranged with respect to said inlet opening as to impart a whirling action to the products of combustioni entering the same, about a horizontal a axis arranged transversely of the smoke box shell to separate out the heavier particles thereof and todirectthe lighterparticles in toward the plane of said stack and nozzle.

4. A locomotive front end embodying therein a smoke box shell having a smoke stack at the top and an exhaust nozzle at the bottom, a transversely disposed casing in said shell and intowhich'partsofsaid stack and-nozzle extend, means providingan inlet opening in' thefrcnt :of said casing with a hood at the top of the same, andmeansproviding a cone'in'said casing so positioned withrespect tosaid inlet opening'ias to provide a whirling action to theproducts of combustion entering said inlet opening to cause a separation betweenthe lighter and heavier particles of said products'of combustion.

5. A locomotive front end embodying therein a smoke box shell having a smokestack at the top and-an exhaust nozzle at the bottom, a trans versely" disposed casing in said shell and into which parts of-,sai;dstack and nozzle extend;

means providing an;inlet. opening in the front,

of said casingwith a-hoodat the top, meanspro viding a cone in said casing sopositioned with respect to said opening as to impart'a whirling action to ,the-' products, of combustion entering tire-same and-a deflector plate in saidicasing' extending upwardly and inwardlyfrom the. bot-* porting said casing from said shell, which has an opening at eachend at the .fiont'of'thecasing,

a hood above each opening; a cone-supported in.

saidcasingcoaxially therewith so'as'to' bez'engaged by the products of combustion entering said openings and means providing" baffles be tween the'ends" and "top-of said'c'asing and said;

smoke box shell.

A" locomotive boiler embodying therein a smoke box shell having a smokeistack at the top andjanexhaust'nozzle at the'gbottom; means pro viding ;atransverse casing in said -shell with -a' neck" secured td a-part of the stack', means 'fr" supporting said casing from said shell-which has an opening at each end at the front, of the case ing;- a' hoodabove eachopening, a. cone supported in said casing coaxially-"therewith" so as to be engaged by the products ofcor'nbustion enteringsaid openings; a deflector extending -upwardly and'i-nwardly from the-bottom of each in- 8.-A-locomotive boiler" embodying therein a smoke box shell having a smoke stack at the top and an exhaust nozzle at the bottom, means providing a transverse casing in said shell with a neck secured to a part of the stack, means for supporting said casing from said shell which has an opening at each end at the front of the casing, a hood above each opening, a cone supported in said casing coaxially therewith so as to be engaged by the products of combustion entering said openings, a cinder ring in said casing about said nozzle and means providing a baiile between the ends of the top of said casing and said smoke box shell.

9. In a locomotive front end, a cylindrical casing adapted to be positioned transversely in a smoke box shell and having ends, means providing an opening at the top of said shell midway between said ends, there being openings in the front of the casing near each end, a hood at the top of each opening in the front of the easing, a cone extending inwardly from each end of the casing and a deflector plate extending upwardly and inwardly from the bottom of each opening in the front of the casing.

10. A locomotive front end embodying therein a smoke box shell, a smoke stack at the top thereof having an extension in the shell, a nozzle at the bottom of the shell, means providing a chamber in the smoke box shell with which chamber the stack extension and nozzle communicate, said means being formed at the front with laterally spaced inlet openings one arranged on each side of the perpendicular axis of the stack extension, said means and inlet openings coacting in causing the products of combustion entering said openings to take substantially circular paths about a horizontal axis extending transversely of the shell.

11. A locomotive front end embodying therein a smoke box shell, a smoke stack at the top thereof having an extension in the shell, a nozzle at the bottom of the shell, means providing a chamber in the smoke box shell with which chamber the stack extension and nozzle communicate, said means being formed at the front end with laterally spaced inlet openings one on each side of the perpendicular axis of the stack extension, said means and inlet openings coacting in causing the products of combustion entering said openings to take substantially circular paths about a horizontal axis extending transversely of the shell, and means in said chamber providing means for directing those parts of the products of combustion near the axis of said paths, in toward the perpendicular plane of the stack extension.

12. A locomotive front end embodying therein a smoke box shell, a smoke stack at the top thereof having an extension on the shell, a nozzle at the bottom of the shell, means providing a casing in the shell having a horizontal axis disposed transversely of the shell and into which the stack extension and nozzle extend, said casing having laterally separated inlet openings at T the front thereof, one spaced to each side of the axis of the stack extension, a deflector associated with one of the horizontal edges of each opening for causing the entering products of combustion to take a circular path about the horizontal axis of the casing and means for closing off the space between the ends and top of the casing and adjacent parts of the smoke box shell.

13. A locomotive front end embodying therein a smoke box shell, a smoke stack at the top thereof having an extension on the shell, a nozzle at the bottom of the shell, means providing a casing in the shell having a horizontal axis disposed transversely of the shell and into which the stack extension and nozzle extend, said casing having laterally separated inlet openings at the front thereof, one spaced to each side of the axis of the stack extension, a deflector associated with the bottom part of each opening for causing the entering products of combustion to take acircular path about the horizontal axis of the casing, a hood associated with the top part of each opening and means for closing off the space between the ends and top of the casing and adjacent parts of the smoke box shell.

14. A locomotive front end embodying therein a smoke box shell, a smoke stack at the top thereof having an extension in the shell, a nozzle at the bottom of the shell, means providing a casing in the shell having a horizontal axis disposed transversely of the shell and into which the stack extension and nozzle extend, said casing having laterally separated inlet openings at the front thereof, one spaced to each side of the axis of the stack extension, a deflector associated with one of the horizontal edges of each opening for causing the entering products of combustion to take a circular path about the horizontal axis of the casing, and means carried by each end of the casing and each associated with an inlet opening for directing those parts of the products of combustion near the axis of said paths, in toward the plane of the stack extensions.

15. A locomotive front end embodying therein a smoke box shell having a smoke stack with an extension therein, means providing a chamber in the smoke box surrounding the bottom end of the stack extension, said means being formed to provide a front inlet opening for said chamber, said chamber providing means and inlet opening being so formed as to coact in causing the products of combustion entering said inlet opening to take a substantially circular path about a horizontal axis arranged transversely of the smoke box shell and an exhaust nozzle in the bottom of the smoke box and opening through the bottom of said chamber providing means in line with said smoke stack.

16. A locomotive front end embodying therein a smoke box shell having a smoke stack with an extension therein, an associated exhaust nozzle and means providing a chamber in the smoke box surrounding the bottom end of the stack extension and the top end of the exhaust nozzle, said means being formed to provide a front inlet for said chamber, said chamber providing means and said inlet opening being so formed as to coact in causing the products of combustion entering said inlet opening to take a substantially circular path about a horizontal axis arranged transversely of the smoke box shell, and means associated with said inlet opening for directing the products of combustion inlet said chamber at a point above the bottom of the stack after passing beneath the bottom of said chamber providing means.

' WM. F. MITCHELL. 

